Anshari Taslim
Chicago, IL – As the Chicago Bulls navigate the final weeks of what has become their sixth season under head coach Billy Donovan, a significant crossroads has emerged regarding his future with the franchise. The Bulls, currently holding a disappointing 29-43 record as of late March 2026, are poised to finish the season outside the Eastern Conference playoff picture, likely in 11th or 12th place. This marks a stark downturn for a team that has achieved only a single playoff victory during Donovan’s entire tenure, alongside three consecutive exits in the Play-In Tournament in the preceding seasons (2023, 2024, 2025). The team’s recent strategic decisions, particularly a series of significant trade deadline moves aimed at future asset accumulation, indicate a prolonged and arduous rebuilding phase, raising questions about Donovan’s willingness to oversee such a project.
Recent reports from the Chicago Sun-Times, specifically from veteran reporter Joe Cowley, have fueled speculation regarding Donovan’s potential departure. Cowley reported this week that there are "rumblings" Donovan "might step away from the mess and take a season to reevaluate what he wants from the profession." Donovan himself did little to quell these rumors during a press availability in Philadelphia on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, indicating that a comprehensive discussion about his future would be necessary with team leadership once the current season concludes.
Speaking to reporters, Donovan articulated his motivations and desires concerning his coaching career. "When I got into coaching, I never did it for the money, and I never really did it for notoriety," Donovan stated, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. "I love the game, I loved competing, and I felt like outside my parents, the people that had the most influence on me in my life were the guys that coached me." He further elaborated on his competitive drive, asserting, "I never really thought, ‘Hey, listen, I’m going to get into coaching because I want to be in the Hall of Fame.’ I wanted to get into coaching to win and for the competing part and trying to get a group of guys to compete. So I never looked at it from a legacy standpoint as much as when the season comes to an end, how are we going to work to get into a place where we’re really competing and how do we build this out moving forward? Those are the things that we need to talk about."
Donovan underscored his professional aspirations, emphasizing a desire for high-stakes competition. "Selfishly, competitively, I want us to be in that situation where we’re playing in real legitimate, not that these [regular-season games] aren’t legitimate, but you’re in the playoffs, you’re going through a seven-game series and you’re trying to advance and move on." This statement, given the Bulls’ current trajectory, highlights a potential misalignment between the coach’s competitive ambitions and the team’s long-term rebuilding strategy.
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The Bulls’ current organizational pivot, initiated by executive Artūras Karnišovas, aims to extricate the team from a prolonged period of mediocrity. Donovan acknowledged this strategic shift: "Whatever words you want to use, we’re pivoting right now, so a lot of it is going to be me sitting down with ownership, with Arturas, to find out, ‘OK, what’s the next step?’" He continued, "Because I think the biggest thing with the moves that were made at the [trade] deadline was, ‘OK, how do we get out of the middle? And if we’re taking a step back, what do we have to do to take a step forward where we’re actually building something where, yeah, we may have to go through a plan again, but how are we going to get into a playoff?’"
Adding another layer of intrigue to Donovan’s situation is the open head coaching position at the University of North Carolina. Donovan, who previously led the Florida Gators to back-to-back NCAA National Championships in 2006 and 2007, did not explicitly deny interest in the prestigious college job, stating only that his "main focus" remained on coaching the Bulls. His decorated college career, which includes four Final Four appearances, positions him as a highly attractive candidate for a program like North Carolina, particularly if the demands of a professional NBA rebuild become less appealing. The opportunity to return to the college ranks, where he achieved significant success and built a lasting legacy, presents a compelling alternative to a potentially lengthy and challenging NBA rebuild.
This is not the first instance where Donovan’s commitment to a rebuilding project has come under scrutiny. Prior to his departure from the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2020, he reportedly declined a two-year contract extension. Thunder general manager Sam Presti stated at the time that it had "become apparent that we couldn’t provide him the information on the future direction of the team over the next several seasons to give him the level of clarity that he understandably desires at this stage of his career." This was widely interpreted as Donovan’s disinterest in overseeing a rebuilding team.
However, Donovan has consistently pushed back against that narrative. In February 2025, following the Bulls’ significant trade of All-Star guard Zach LaVine to the Sacramento Kings, Donovan addressed the issue directly. "The situation in Oklahoma City is totally different," he told reporters. "I think there was maybe a lot of things said or put out there publicly that I had no interest in a rebuild. That’s not true. I never said that. I never felt like that. To me, it’s all about the direction and where we are going and do they want me to be a part of that? When we talk about rebuild, retool, whatever term you want to use, that’s all I’ve been a part of. I took over a program at Florida with two straight losing seasons. I don’t only want to coach ready-made teams; that’s not what I am about. Clearly, we’re making a shift. I want to be part of building something."
A year later, in February 2026, after the Bulls executed further substantial moves that reportedly sent key players Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White, and center Nikola Vučević packing, Donovan reaffirmed his stance on participating in a team turnaround. "Yeah, the part about the OKC thing, even when I kind of came [to the Bulls] it was a rebuild in terms of we had a lot of young guys, there were some decisions that were going to be made," Donovan told the Chicago Sun-Times. "To be honest with you, most of my time in college was to rebuild teams and rosters. We have to sit down as an organization quite honestly, myself, ownership and front office, and find the direction, the clarity, of, again, the roster is kind of flipped, right?"
He also cited examples of rapid turnarounds in the league. "I’ve talked to you guys about what’s important to me is the mentality, the competitiveness, that kind of stuff, and things can happen quickly too. Look at what Detroit was able to do. They were really bad for a while and they took off and have done really well. You look at a team like Boston, where they shed a bunch of salary cap and people thought they weren’t going to be any good and now they’re second in the East, so things can happen pretty quickly."
While Donovan’s recent statements are largely consistent with his past assertions about being open to building a team, the current context significantly alters the perception. The Bulls’ performance since early February 2026 has been particularly disheartening, with the team registering a 5-18 record over that span. Donovan, who is approaching his 61st birthday, might find the prospect of enduring another season of non-competitive basketball less appealing than in previous years, especially if a more attractive opportunity, such as the storied North Carolina program, becomes a tangible option.
The upcoming discussions between Donovan, ownership, and Artūras Karnišovas will be critical in defining the path forward for the Chicago Bulls. The outcome will determine whether Donovan continues to lead a franchise embarking on a deep rebuild, or if he seeks a different challenge that aligns more closely with his competitive drive for immediate playoff contention.
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